Cons

Bottom Line

All of Marmara's 108 guest rooms are basically studios and one- and two-bedroom apartments with full kitchens. Some of its rooms might lack the new flat-screens, but it's still a clean, comfortable, pet-friendly option way up in a less-touristed part of the Upper East Side, within walking distance of Central Park and the Guggenheim museum.

Located in the Upper East Side on 2nd Avenue, a high-trafficed Manhattan artery with a number of low-key bars and restaurants, the Marmara Manhattan is about 30 blocks outside the more conventional "tourist zone" in Midtown East and Midtown West (where the great majority of New York's hotels are located) as well as the Upper East Side's famous designer boutiques. But the location does has some meaningful advantages -- a 10-minute walk to Central Park; a 15-minute walk to the Guggenheim museum, among others; close proximity to some of the best hospitals in the world.

Four blocks from the 6 subway line; 10 blocks from the 4 and 5 express lines (all along the same eastside track)

Rooms

Standard guest rooms (Studio Suites) have a queen-size bed and start at a generous (for New York, at least) 350 square feet.

One-bedroom suites come as either a Standard (one bathroom), Superior (1.5 baths), or Deluxe (1.5 baths, on a higher floor) -- all have a queen bed and a pull-out sofa bed; two- and three-bedroom units also available.

Airport Transportation

About 30 to 90 minutes from three airports

New York has three nearby airports: JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark (in New Jersey). Getting to town from JFK or LaGuardia is usually more convenient than getting there from Newark, but travel times are heavily dependent on the time of day and traffic conditions. From JFK, a taxi to anywhere in Manhattan costs a flat rate of $45 and takes around an hour in average conditions. From LaGuardia, a metered cab ride to midtown Manhattan costs about $40 and can take 30 minutes if traffic is light, three times that if it's bad. Rides from Newark cost at least $50 (plus tolls) and can take more than 90 minutes. It's customary to tip your driver 15 to 25 percent.

Those looking to save some cash can use the privately run shuttle buses that are available at all three airports for about $15 per person. For more information on the shuttles, go to Super Shuttle or New York Airport Service. Public transit is also available for as little as $7.50 per person, but travel can take up to two hours and involve a lot of lugging bags up and down stairways.

For mass-transit directions right to the hotel, check out HopStop.com.

Bottom Line

All of Marmara's 108 guest rooms are basically studios and one- and two-bedroom apartments with full kitchens. Some of its rooms might lack the new flat-screens, but it's still a clean, comfortable, pet-friendly option way up in a less-touristed part of the Upper East Side, within walking distance of Central Park and the Guggenheim museum.